Thursday, February 20, 2014

16,000 Landless Workers Protest for Agrarian Reform in Brasilia

La Via Campesina

(Brazilia) The ministry esplanade was covered in red yesterday afternoon. Around 16 thousand landless workers participating in the 6th Landless Workers’ Movement National Congress made the 9km journey to the Plaza and back. Details here.

‘Swine Flu’ Strain Returns in US; Dramatic Rise in Deaths of Young Adults, Children

The Washington Post

The H1N1 virus responsible for the 2009 global pandemic is back. State health officials from across the country say the resurgence is resulting in a dramatic rise in flu deaths in young and middle-aged adults and in children this season. Full story here.

Monday, February 17, 2014

Autosaurus Rex: A Story of Dinosaurs



Transparency,Please! Time to Come Clean, Rex! - Sierra Club

Should a CBC radio & TV commentator be
 accepting speaking fees for pro-Tar Sands speeches on the side without publicly disclosing the financial conflict of interest to viewers? Should a national newspaper consider--let alone sign--a strategic partnership with the oil industry (a.k.a. Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers) to produce content? Would such a move render the paper a non-news organization? Should it?


These two stories emerged over the last week and received almost no attention in the media. There has to be a better explanation than Olympic coverage eating up air time.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Kerry: Climate Change is World's 'Most Fearsome' WMD; Slams Deniers as 'Flat-Earthers'

Brandon Sun
A raging stream where none had been before during Manitoba's epic flooding of 2011.  PLT photo.
JAKARTA, Indonesia - Climate change may be the world's "most fearsome" weapon of mass destruction and urgent global action is needed to combat it, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday. He compared those who deny its existence to people who insist the Earth is flat. Details here.

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Keystone XL Pipeline: 4 Animals and 3 Habitats in Its Path

National Geographic


Power line impact on the whooping crane just one of the wildlife concerns. Details here.

Will Canada's Experimental Lakes Area Rise From the Dead?

International Institute for Sustainable Development

OTTAWA—The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) welcomes today’s announcement of proposed new regulations that would allow the important scientific research at the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) to continue. 
One of a countless number of freshwater lakes in Manitoba, Canada. PLT photo.
The proposed regulations are published in the Canada Gazette and are entitled “Experimental Lakes Area Research Activities Regulations” and “Regulations Establishing Conditions for Making Regulations under Subsection 36(5.2) of the Fisheries Act.
This step, together with the Ontario government’s regulation proposal notice last month, is of critical importance to allow the operation of ELA by a third party. IISD seeks to ensure that the long-term scientific work to understand Canada’s changing freshwater management challenges continues. 
“IISD continues to negotiate with both Ontario and the federal government, and we are hopeful that a final arrangement regarding legal transfer of the Experimental Lakes Area can be reached in the coming weeks,” said Scott Vaughan, IISD president and CEO.

Friday, February 14, 2014

California Farms Are Slow to Adopt Water-Saving Technology - Higher Food Prices on the Way.

Newsweek

Coming soon to a grocery store near you: higher food prices, because California, which grows more than half of the nation's fresh fruits and vegetables, is in its third consecutive year of getting only about one-eighth the usual amount of water from snow melting in the High Sierras. Details here.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Beijing Smog Makes City 'Barely Suitable' For Life, Report Says

Some Canadian-made pollution from an ethanol plant in Manitoba, CA. PLT photo.
(Reuters) - Severe pollution in Beijing has made the Chinese capital "barely suitable" for living, according to an official Chinese report, as the world's second largest economy tries to reduce often hazardous levels of smog caused by decades of rapid growth. Full story here.


Roundup-Resistant Weeds a Clear and Present Danger

the Manitoba Co-Operator

Canadian farmers are being warned to be careful not to lose their most precious weed-control resource. Full story here.

(l.) A newspaper ad showing the "kinder, gentler" side of present day agriculture. (Sarcasm intended.) PLT photo.

Fossil Fuel Subsidies Dampen Shift Towards Renewables

INTER PRESS News Agency
Wind turbine in Saskatchewan, Canada. PLT photo.
Despite evolving public awareness and alarm over climate change, subsidies for the production and consumption of fossil fuels remain a stubborn impediment to shifting the world’s energy matrix towards renewable sources. Full story here.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Group Wants Lac-Mégantic Contamination Records Made Public

The Gazette
The Canadian province of Quebec is refusing to make public all the information it has about the contamination of the Chaudière riverbed caused by the Lac-Mégantic train derailment seven months ago. Details here.

Related: "Have our Servants Become our Masters? Why fossil fuels are no longer our friends."

PLEASE READ LARRY'S BOOK - THE MERCHANTS OF MENACE.

  Read Larry's book   here.